Time for Bay Area Homeowners to Go Solar

There are numerous benefits of solar energy, including less reliance on natural resources, increased assets to the overall home value, and substantial annual cost savings to the solar homeowner. Learn how Bay Area homeowners can move ahead with solar.

2016 is shaping up to be another growing year for the California solar power industry. There are about 490,00 solar projects in place in the Golden State, with nearly 3900 megawatts installed, according to current 2016 statistics from the California Solar Initiative (CSI).

Solar is good for Bay Area residents, and it’s helping the economy as well. California is still the nation’s leader in creating solar jobs. New data from the Solar Foundation’s State Solar Jobs Census show that California created over 20,000 new solar jobs last year, and now totals more than 75,000 jobs in solar areas, a new national landmark.

Solar Benefits

The benefits of solar energy are numerous, including less reliance on natural resources, increased assets to the overall home value, and substantial annual cost savings to the solar homeowner. An average California homeowner saves about $500/yr. in current solar savings, per the solar information website SolarPowerRocks. In fact, over the lifetime of a 20-year lease, the average California homeowner can save almost $16,000!

We can help homeowners in the Bay Area, San Jose and Santa Clara who are interested in solar energy! Let’s look at three of the common areas in which avenues of opportunity exist for the average San Jose homeowner eager to explore solar energy options.

Solar Financing Programs

Solar financing programs exist on different levels. In the Bay Area, the GoSolarSF solar financing program gets homeowners and businesses anywhere from $500 to $2,800 for a basic install. This financing help can be the important first step in getting solar panels installed, and help lower homeowners’ individual carbon footprint.

Lower Utility Bills

Electricity prices in the Bay Area are generally high, about 21 cents per kilowatt hour. But gathering solar energy from sunlight and converting it into usable electricity can make a substantial dent for residents and businesses. Solar Power Rocks notes that residents can pay about 14 cents per kilowatt hour using solar energy. That’s a substantial savings over the long term on their utility bills. Residents in San Jose and Santa Clara can also benefit from lower utility bills.

Promoting Green Energy

Reducing carbon footprints and promoting clean energy is at the heart of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems. More homebuilders are adding solar PV into new homes to appeal to energy-savvy homeowners (as well as increasing their bottom line). Expectations are high for further solar growth across the state, but it requires a concerted effort between the builder community, installers and Bay Area residents.

If you’re interested in more information on getting solar energy installed in your home, set up an appointment today with a local installer – Call us at 408-645-0039 or email us at info@aihc.com